March 30: More readers react to the Hebron shooting

I feel sick and almost hysterical when I read about the soldier now embroiled in the shooting of a terrorist who had only one thing in mind: to kill soldiers. Thank God for the sanity of Education Minister and Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett (“Netanyahu, Bennett feud in cabinet over Hebron shooting incident,” March 28).

Who is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu afraid to offend now? Has he forgotten that in most countries, young men and women, when they finish high school, have nothing more to worry about than where they will go for a gap year, which university to attend or which girl to hang out with? Here, we support and encourage our boys and girls to go into the service with a strong heart, and because we live through nail-biting times, we pray constantly that they return to us safe and sound.

How dare Netanyahu spit in our faces? His duty is to back up our soldiers and not put them in such a state of anxiety that they are unable to defend themselves when confronted by a terrorist who comes to kill them! What do we tell them? “Make sure you take your time to shoot him in the right place so nobody will be offended”? The prime minister knows where to stick his rules of engagement. A dead terrorist is preferable to a dead soldier.

LINDA HIRSCH
Netanya

In “Why IDF Hebron shooter doesn’t stand a chance” (Analysis, March 28), Yonah Jeremy Bob states that the soldier “is absolutely innocent until proven guilty.” He then goes on to conduct the soldier’s trial, undoubtedly proving his guilt! As the major English-language Israeli newspaper, read by millions around the world both in print and online, I wonder why The Jerusalem Post chose to place this analysis on the front page instead of in the op-ed section, as an opinion article. The same writer had a byline on Page 2 of the same issue (“Autopsy of Palestinian could determine fate of IDF shooter in Hebron”). This was a more objective report.

Who needs enemies to accuse Israel of extrajudicial procedures?

AVRAHAM FRIEDMAN
Ganei Modi’in

Yonah Jeremy Bob refers to the terrorist who stabbed our soldier as a “Palestinian.” A terrorist is a terrorist is a terrorist! KAREN LAST Ra’anana My heart goes out to the poor soldier who has already been judged, tarred and feathered (“Hebron lesson,” Editorial, March 28). But what I find even more disturbing is that no one has asked some pertinent questions.

1. How did the videographer happen to be there with his B’Tselem-supplied camera? Could it be that “friends” suggested he be there to see the terrorists’ “heroic action” of stabbing soldiers? 2. Channel 10 kept showing the B’Tselem video, but not another video in which you clearly hear people expressing a suspicion that the terrorist might have an explosive belt.

3. If, as we are told, an officer checked the terrorist and found no explosive belt, why were the soldiers waiting for a sapper to check him? Why is no one saying he has already been checked out? I am not holding my breath for answers, as the shooter has already been judged. After all this, do we expect our boys to stand there and be attacked just so we look good in the eyes of our so-called friends?

MENACHEM DAYAGI
Tel Aviv

Is it likely that B’Tselem knew in advance that a terrorist attack would take place and was ready to capture footage?

G. JABOBSON
Netanya

Columnist Jeff Barak’s anger regarding the incident in Hebron (“Hebron killing was not a one-off event,” Reality Check, March 28) is somewhat confusing, if not downright appalling.

The IDF is conducting an investigation, and the facts on the ground are not yet clear.

Instead of trying to understand the mindset of our sons and daughters who are on the front lines in this wave of indiscriminate terror, he lashes out not only at them, but at all of Israel. Is this not a time of war? Why doesn’t Barak consider the actions leading up the shooting? We Israelis are shrugging our shoulders at dead terrorists because we have had enough.

We are sick and tired of murderers who have all their needs provided in prison, just to be released in some crazy 1,000:1 prisoner swap, only to kill again. This is a result of such swaps, along with actions like those of the Joint List MKs who praise such “martyrs” and pay condolence calls to their families.

Barak needs to get out a bit more, to walk the streets of Jerusalem, take a bus to Gush Etzion or perhaps even try to understand a soldier who is on a constant state of high alert waiting to be run over, stabbed or shot at.

We are tired of being perfect.

Always the high ground, we are told. Well guess what? Most of us don’t really care, and some of us even prefer that any terrorist who attacks with the intent to kill ends up with the exact same fate. Let’s face it: political correctness is becoming passé.

JONATHAN SURASKY
Ra’anana

I think the entire issue is misunderstood.

“Rules of war” apply to soldiers of opposing armies. They do not apply to terrorists or murderers. These attackers are terrorists, not soldiers, despite what the Palestinian Authority claims. Israel must recognize them and treat them as such! IDF protocol that “protects” a terrorist once he has been “neutralized” is misguided.

Furthermore, just because he is wounded, he might still be capable of reviving and continuing to attack others. Soldiers should not have to endanger themselves to verify that he is incapable of further attacks.

This “mercy” protocol has been proven to be dangerous, as evidenced by stabbing attacks where the perpetrator was shot and temporarily incapacitated, only to recover and continue his attack until finally shot dead.

IDF protocol dealing with terrorists should be shoot to kill, and continue shooting until the murderer is dead.

Jewish law on this issue is clear. This is the law the IDF should follow.

KAL FEINBERG
Jerusalem

As the days go by and the Hebron shooting gets more and more publicity, I am beginning to think that we are living in some sort of parallel universe, where we have turned against ourselves and become blind to who is the enemy.

Who ever heard of a soldier being arrested for killing a terrorist at the scene of the attack? And now we hear he might be tried for murder, as if he was the one who came with the intent to kill.

Have we gone completely mad? Would this happen in any other country? We are our own worst enemy! The only IDF soldier who did anything wrong in this incident was the soldier who merely “neutralized” the terrorist instead of finishing the job! CHANA PINTO Ra’anana No matter what the outcome is for this brave IDF soldier, his life is stained forever.

All of my grandsons and granddaughters served in the IDF with pride an honor. As the great-grandmother of two boys, I pray the world will be in better shape when they reach army age.

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